Token2049 has grown into one of the largest crypto conferences in the world – and one of the richest concentrations of digital-asset wealth in any given week in Dubai. For founders attending (or speaking), here’s the short-form version of the playbook we run for clients.
Before you arrive
- Do not post your flight or hotel on social media. Even in stories. Especially in stories.
- Agree a daily schedule with your protection team – they can’t protect what they don’t know about.
- Pre-book your side-event RSVPs under a different email alias than your primary.
On the ground
- Keep a small day-bag. No hardware wallets on your person. No laptops without disk encryption, TPM, and remote-wipe.
- Use hotel safes, but assume they aren’t safes.
- Arrive 30 minutes early to any side-event; late arrivals are the easiest targets in a crowd.
- Never accept rides from anyone who isn’t your pre-booked driver. “The organiser sent me” is one of the oldest tricks.
After-party logistics
This is where the risk concentrates. Drunk founders, flashy venues, late nights, loud social media posting. Our strong recommendation is one-out, one-in: a dedicated operator for transport home, regardless of what the rest of the evening looks like.
If something goes wrong
Your protection team carries a tested escalation plan: nearest police station, nearest A&E, duress phrases, and the embassy liaison contact for your nationality. If you don’t have that sheet in your pocket – we can produce it in an hour.